


Sacred

by DerKnochenbrecher



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Love at First Sight, M/M, Noragami AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-15
Updated: 2015-12-15
Packaged: 2018-05-06 23:41:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5435174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DerKnochenbrecher/pseuds/DerKnochenbrecher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shinki aren't supposed to fall in love with other gods, and yet that's what happened. And it's on Daichi to determine the fates of those involved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sacred

**Author's Note:**

> For those who are not familiar with Noragami (or those who are but want a refresher,) the names more or less work like this:
> 
> Each shinki is given a one-character name by their god, who is sometimes referred to as their "godparent" because of this. Their actual name is the Japanese reading of this character (eg, Yuki, Makoto, Kou or Mine). Their vessel name is the Chinese reading (eg, Setsu, Shin, Kyou or Hou), which their name as a weapon (eg, Sekki, Shinki, Kyouki, or Houki) is based off of. As people, the shinki are addressed by a combination of the Japanese reading of the kanji, plus a clan name that denotes them as belonging to a god’s “family.” Though there are canon examples of prefixes being used (notably Kofuku’s use of Dai-), these most often take the form of suffixes. Thus, Yato’s shinki have –ne (with Yuki being addressed personally as Yukine), and Tenjin’s have –yu (with Makoto being shortened to Ma and becoming Mayu). The kanji used for clan names also generally have meaning that ranging from convenient to poetic to personally important, depending on the god. Canon has examples of variations on all of these points, but for the sake of simplicity this is pretty much what you can expect here.
> 
> For this fic, I aimed to have each ‘guide post’ shinki retain their canon names, and therefore their gods’ clan names derive from these. Daichi’s suffix is the –shi from Koushi; it means “branch,” as in a part of many, so I thought it fitting. Mineshi, Asahi’s personal name for most of the fic, is derived from the reading of the kanji ne in Azumane, plus the –shi suffix. For Kenma, the suffix is –o, meaning tail. The shinki mentioned here are Nobuo (vessel name Shin, weapon name Shinki, from Kai [Nobu]yuki), Haio (vessel name Ke, weapon name Keki, from [Hai]ba Lev), Inuo (vessel name Ken, weapon name Kenki, from [Inu]oka Sou) and Torao (vessel name Ku, weapon name Kuki, from Yamamoto Take[tora]), in addition to Kuroo. Kageyama uses the prefix Hi-, as in sun. 
> 
> Please note that I am not an expert in Japanese and actually have a very low reading level when it comes to kanji. However I am 95% sure that these names are correct for the Noragami-verse, though I am open to corrections if they are needed. In terms of nomenclature, I tried to keep the Japanese limited to just “shinki,” since I find it sounds better than “regalia,” and “hafuri,” because “blessed shinki” sounded silly and “blessed regalia” too confusing.

There were advantages to being a god in a city, Daichi supposed. More potential worshipers, for one. That large pool was what had allowed him to have both a main shrine and a branch shrine, on opposite ends of the town. There were more things to do, too.

 

The downside to that, though, was that trouble was always brewing somewhere. He leapt off the roof of a building and the spikes on his brass knuckles tore through a snake-shaped phantom. At this point it seemed like the city wasn’t running out of the things fast.

 

Daichi landed on the roof of the building opposite, hearing the _ting_ of the phantom rending itself apart behind him as the world turned red. It lasted only a moment. When he looked up, the sky was blue again, with no signs of storms. That was good – duty or not, he didn’t really want to spend the whole day running after arrant phantoms. He preferred helping people to fighting, but some days – like today – physical conflict was inevitable.

 

“That was the last of them, wasn’t it?” Koushi asked. His weight was a comfort on Daichi’s torso. When he had first seen the form Koushi would take for him, he had thought a cable-knit sweater would be too ridiculous to wear into battle. Once he had gotten used to it, though, it became impossible for him to even imagine fighting without Kyouki’s protection.

 

“I think so,” Daichi said. “Good job, both of you.” He felt both Koushi and Mineshi smile across his connections to them.

 

“Should we go home, then?” Mineshi asked, sounding like he thought that was a very good idea. Even if he became something as hands-on and violent as brass knuckles for Daichi, the small size of his Houki form revealed his gentle nature. Fortunately Daichi was fairly peaceable god, in theory concerned with nothing more than the health of the land for the area between his two small shrines, so fighting wasn’t something the three of them had to do very often.

 

Daichi was about to say yes – and very much wanted to – when a patch of darkness in the streets below caught his eye. He held back a sigh. “Not yet,” he said. “We’ve one more area to clean up, then we will.”

 

“ _Osu!_ ” Though Daichi knew that both of them were tired, neither would hesitate to respond to his call. His shinki were loyal and strong. He was so _lucky_ to have them.

 

Daichi turned towards the shadows, noting that they were growing as the sun sank lower. It would be good to get back home before the sun set, but now that he had noticed the phantoms he couldn’t rightfully leave them to spread their chaos. He adjust his grip on Houki before leaping out for the shadows.

 

The phantoms were not particularly big or strong, but there were many of them, linking together and buried deep into the concrete, and Houki wasn’t the best tool for the job. Still, they managed to chase the insect-like phantoms out of their hiding place, Daichi smashing them as he caught up to them. One tried to jump onto Daichi’s back, but failed to get a hold on Kyouki. It did cause Daichi to stumble, falling down a side alley, before he could turn around and smash Houki into it. Another one appeared from behind the wall in front of them. Daichi punched it too, taking several steps back in case anything else decided to appear.

 

Daichi took a second to catch his breath, then looked up. The sky was turning red with sunset now.

 

“Daichi,” Koushi said, a warning in his voice.

 

He turned around, and as he did so he realised that when he had stepped back, he had crossed beneath a torii gate, and was now standing in someone else’s shrine. Also, that someone – dressed in rather ratty ceremonial garb, with his hair sticking up like flames – was watching them with bright amber eyes. The worn calligraphy on the sign that hung above him, at the apex of the shrine’s roof, identified him as the god of the Nishinoya Shrine. Daichi hadn’t realised that they’d gone that far – he knew of the Nishinoya god, but had never met him. He had heard the stories, and they convinced him he hadn’t wanted to.

 

Birds – crows – rustled and cawed in the trees around them. Nishinoya leapt up, smiling. His bare feet and arms were wrapped in strips of white cloth. And, strangest of all, he didn’t seem to have any shinki with him, nor did there seem to be any hidden out of sight.

 

A shrine but no shinki. What sort of god lived like that?

*

Nishinoya had sat up as soon as he had felt someone approach his shrine. He hadn’t been doing anything again that day, so the interruption had been welcome – even more so when he saw who it was. He had seen the god Daichi before, from a distance on a handful occasions, but had never had the opportunity to speak to him.

 

 “Are you lost, Daichi-kami?” Nishinoya asked, walking up to him. “Can I help you?”

 

Maybe he was sounding too eager, but Daichi was the first visitor he had had in _days_ , even if he _was_ trespassing. His crows could only keep him so much company. The name of the Nishinoya god was less remembered as a god to pray to in daily life, and more as a guardian deity to call upon in times of desperate need – when a hurricane approached, before a blizzard, those kinds of times. But then, even as those wishes became fewer, the Nishinoya god was remembered in local history and folklore for what he protected the people _from_. Or had protected, at any rate. The five hundred corpses buried in a mass grave beneath his shrine hadn’t budged in _centuries_ , and the boredom was beginning to get to him.

 

Daichi took a half-step back. “Ah, lost – yes,” he said.  

 

Nishinoya looked him over, eyes widening at the sight of his clothes. He knew he was staring, but then again he had never seen shinki like his up close. He was a guardian deity – and so he never moved from this shrine, never able to find wandering spirits to become his own shinki. It had been centuries since he’d become a god, but even still he had never found a shinki who would stay with him for very long. Then again, since he only ever stayed on hallowed ground, he didn’t think a shinki was much of a necessity. He did his job and fulfilled those wishes asked of him that he could reach. Let gods like Daichi hunt down phantoms.

 

Though, if he was being honest, there were those brief times when he saw other gods and their shinki and wished he could have his own. He couldn’t even remember when, exactly, he had released his last shinki.

 

His gaze flickered from Daichi’s face, to the sweater he was wearing and then the brass knuckles clenched in his hand.

 

“Are these both your shinki?” he asked.

 

“Uhm, yes,” Daichi said. “Kou, Mine – revert.”

 

They did. Daichi looked colder, feeling the evening air as his warm-looking sweater was replaced with a white dress shirt. The sweater turned into a pretty young man, who smiled at Nishinoya and tilted his head in greeting.

 

“Nice to meet you,” he said. “My name’s Koushi.”

 

“Cool!” Nishinoya said. “Ahh, garment-style shinki are so cool!” He looked over Koushi long enough to make the shinki blush slightly, glancing back to his god, like he was making sure he wasn’t overstepping his boundaries. Nishinoya glanced at Daichi too, grinning when he noticed his slightly jealous expression.

 

“Thanks,” Koushi said, smiling.

 

“And your other one…” Nishinoya turned, and then stopped dead. Koushi was pretty, but Mineshi had turned into the most gorgeous person Nishinoya had ever seen. He had long brown hair that looked super-soft pulled back into a bun, a cool beard, and lovely brown eyes. He couldn’t see his name, so it was probably hidden beneath his clothes, which were similar to Daichi’s. Only Mineshi seemed to be wearing them better. He had broader shoulders, which made him look rather gentlemanly in the collared shirt, and wide, gentle-looking hands.

 

Nishinoya legitimately couldn’t help the next words out of his mouth, “Oh man, you’re _hot_.”

 

Mineshi blushed, heavily, only managing to look cuter, and turned away, without meeting Nishinoya’s eyes. “Ah – uhm – thanks?” he said.

 

Daichi frowned, stepping forward as though to act as a wall between his shinki and Nishinoya. Nishinoya shrank back, smile disappearing as he realised he should have kept his mouth shut. He hoped that neither Mineshi nor Daichi would hate him for that.

 

“It’s getting late,” Daichi said. And Nishinoya could hear his crows growing restless. “I think perhaps it’s time we get home.”

 

“Ah, yeah,” Nishinoya agreed, even though he could feel his heart sinking. “Well, you should come back and visit me, sometime. We are both local gods, after all.” He couldn’t help but glance at Mineshi when he said this, although Mineshi wasn’t looking at him. He was focusing on Daichi – on his god – instead. Nishinoya felt his heart fall a little more. Maybe Mineshi didn’t like him. Many people didn’t, even from the moment they met him. Maybe what he was doing – who he was – wasn’t enough to change _what_ he was.

 

It had been hundreds of years, but the myths still grew stronger than reality. Even the blessings of a god born to protect couldn’t wash away the blood that had imbued itself in the soil, or in the minds of the people. For the longest time, he had tried to argue against this, tried not to define himself by how others saw him, but now he couldn’t help but wonder if it was true. But he didn’t want Mineshi to see him like that.

 

He bit the inside of his lip, realising that he really did want these people, the first he had even talked to in quite some time, to like him. And that he had probably already blown his chance.

 

“We’ll see you around,” Daichi replied. Then, because it made transport easier, recalled Koushi and Mineshi to their weapon forms.

 

Just before Mineshi reverted, he glanced back, his eyes locking on Nishinoya’s. Nishinoya felt a shiver go down his spine from that glance, and he didn’t want to look away, didn’t want to break that connection. But Mineshi reverted to his Houki form, and Daichi left, turning a corner as he passed through the torii and leaving Nishinoya alone. Again.

 

He sighed softly, sitting down on the steps to his shrine. Around him, the crows were getting ready to settle down for the night, but one of them, inobservant of the twilight, hopped closer to him. Nishinoya reached out a hand and it clambered on, letting itself be pet. The god, though, was distracted, with thoughts of Mineshi’s hair and eyes and that _adorable_ blush… He was surprised, though, that he became something as vicious as brass knuckles, but perhaps that was Daichi’s influence. He would have thought something nicer – but then, Mineshi seemed the kind to have hidden talents. Nishinoya desperately wanted to know what they were. He wanted to know what it would be like to have Mineshi in his hand, to fight with him, even just to hold _his_ hand and –

 

The crow implored him to scratch beneath his beak, but Noya almost didn’t notice. He was too busy realising that he had fallen hard. For another god’s shinki.

 

And he had no idea what to do about this.

 

*

 

“You look worried,” Koushi said.                                                                              

 

Mineshi looked up as his friend knelt down beside him, then back out to the yard drenched in moonlight. It was Koushi who kept this yard, tucked into Daichi’s house in Takamagahara. The gardens were always calm, lovely places that bloomed no matter what the season was on Earth. Mineshi usually went there to think, which is how Koushi knew where to find him.  

 

Mineshi’s brow was half-furrowed, but he was trying to keep his thoughts calm. He would have stung Daichi, and he didn’t want to cause any harm to him, regardless of what the consequences might have been for Mineshi himself. Daichi was his friend in addition to being his god-father, after all. And therein lay the problem.

 

Mineshi sighed. “I suppose I am. Don’t worry, though, I won’t let any harm come to Daichi.”

 

Koushi smiled. “I know you won’t. So – what was worrying you?”

 

Usually Mineshi would have no trouble responding. But right now, he didn’t know how to put what he was feeling into words, much less words that wouldn’t sting. Koushi, however, was insightful, and didn’t hesitate getting to the heart of the issue.

 

“Is it about the Nishinoya god?”

 

Mineshi nodded, but slowly. He just couldn’t keep his mind off of him, no matter how hard he tried. He had only seen Nishinoya that once, and had barely been able to look him in the eye after he’d – after he’d said _that_. But the truth was, the same thought had occurred to Mineshi, and at the same time. Now he couldn’t stop thinking about that whole encounter. He felt his cheeks burn.

 

Koushi sighed, like he had thought it might come to this. “What do you want to do, then?”

 

Mineshi looked over at him, realising the edge to Koushi’s voice. Then he looked down.

 

“I – I don’t know. I don’t want to leave Daichi – or you – but I can’t stop thinking about him…” He rubbed nervously at the back of his neck. “Sorry – this is ridiculous, isn’t it? Falling for a god I just barely met…”

 

“Falling for?”

 

Mineshi realised what he had said. Koushi paused a moment, thinking.

 

“… Would you become a stray for him?”

 

The question came out of the blue, it seemed to Mineshi, but still managed to pierce his heart as the answer occurred to him.

 

“No, I wouldn’t go that far,” he said, and the lie hurt him.

 

Koushi slammed a hand on his back and Mineshi flinched. For a non-combatant, Koushi was scary. And strong.

 

“You’ll be all right then,” he said. “And if you feel the need – _talk_ to Daichi.”

 

“Yeah,” Mineshi said, smiling. Daichi _was_ a good master, and he felt plenty blessed by his having chosen him. But still, even though he was trying not to, he couldn’t help but find his thoughts wandering. He needed a distraction. He stood up. “I’ll go make supper.”

 

“Sounds good,” Koushi said, smiling like he thought that was exactly what Mineshi should be doing. “I’ll join you in a bit.”

 

That was one of the things Mineshi loved about being here – no matter what happened, they always worked together. Rather like they were a real family, almost.

 

*

 

Later that night, Koushi was setting out his and Daichi’s futons in the room they shared, already wearing the yukata he slept in. The door rattled open and Daichi walked in, his face serious.

 

“What’s wrong?” Koushi asked, already knowing it couldn’t be anything good.

 

Daichi took his time to respond, kneeling down to flatten a corner of the futon before Koushi could get to it.

 

After a few moments, Daichi said, “Mineshi asked if I could release him.”

 

Koushi felt his stomach drop. He hadn’t honestly thought that Mineshi would do that – if nothing else, it was impossible to gauge how well a god and a shinki might work together even if they’d known each other for a while. A chance encounter – it might work for wandering spirits, but the risk a shinki took by leaving a good master, on the off chance that they’d work better with their next one…

 

“And… what did you say?”

 

Daichi shook his head. “I didn’t have an answer. I told him I would think about it.”

 

“Daichi, you can’t get rid of him! He’s your weapon.”

 

“You are too.”

 

“But not like he is. I can only defend you! Mineshi is the one who fights for you – he’s the whole reason you can keep attacking and keep the phantoms at bay –“

 

“He stung me, you know.”

 

Daichi’s voice was quiet, but it broke through the summer air like a frost. Koushi looked up at him, horrified.

 

“What?”

 

“Twice, today. Once when we were at the Nishinoya god’s shrine, then later this evening.”

 

Koushi got the sudden, horrible feeling that it had been because of his conversation with Mineshi. “Are – are you alright? You must be purified –“

 

“I’m fine. Mineshi’s a good shinki, and it wasn’t that strong. I took care of it. Don’t worry,” he said. His eyes were on Koushi’s. He could feel Koushi’s worry and self-blame. “But I have to wonder, if that doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t be better off with Nishinoya – if that means that he wasn’t a least a little unhappy here.”

 

“… You should release him,” Koushi said.

 

Daichi blinked. “But – it wasn’t like it was _intentional_ or anything…”

 

Koushi’s hands tightened into fists. “Doesn’t matter. You were _hurt_! A shinki who stings his master isn’t worth keeping around –“

 

“Watch it,” Daichi said. “Mineshi is my friend. He’s _your_ friend, too. I know that most gods would release a shinki the moment they were stung, but I’ve worked with Mineshi for decades. I know he’d make it up to me, and since I can purify it, I don’t want to turn my back on him for a minor indiscretion…”

 

 “This wasn’t an indiscretion, Daichi! He could have hurt you – and if you were stung, do you think you could be reborn?” Saying this seemed to remind Koushi that if he kept being angry, he might sting Daichi as well. He loosened his fingers, shoulders dropping as he bowed his head.

 

Daichi put his hands on Koushi’s shoulders. “A moment ago you were arguing for me to keep him, no matter what he said.”

 

“Yes, but – if he stung you, then you have to think about your own health first…!”

 

Daichi sighed. “Okay, let me ask this straight. As my guide, what do you think I should do?”

 

Koushi thought it over a moment, then looked straight at him. “If you get rid of him, you will be out of a weapon for as long as it takes you to find a new one, whether that is finding a wandering spirit or a freed shinki. You will be at risk of any attacks by phantoms, because while I will do my utmost to protect you, I cannot fight back. However, if you think that he will sting you again, even once, then let him go. I do not want to see you be corroded from the inside out.” His hands rose to rest on Daichi’s cheeks. “Please don’t leave me.”

 

Daichi returned the gesture, his broad palms warm on Koushi’s cheeks and jaw. “I won’t. But if I did, you’d still be there for me when I returned, right?”

 

He _had_ to be able to reincarnate. He was still worshipped, even if he wasn’t popular, even if his name was only known in this little north-east corner of the country. He wouldn’t be forgotten so easily.

 

“Of course,” Koushi replied quietly, leaning into his touch. He was worried for Daichi now, but didn’t let it turn to bitterness towards Mineshi. His wellbeing was on the line too, after all.

 

He just wanted Daichi to be safe.

 

“Please don’t worry over it too much,” Daichi told him. He hated seeing his shinki – either of them – so worked up. He smoothed Koushi’s hair with a hand. “Look – let’s go to bed. This can be dealt with in the morning.”

 

Koushi nodded, relaxing a bit as Daichi turned and began unbuttoning his shirt. And Daichi really had meant to follow his own suggestion. But as he lay in bed, Koushi only an arm’s length away, wrapped in his blanket despite the warmth, his back to him, he realised that even then he wasn’t sure. He could still feel Houki’s weight in his hand, familiar and reassuring, with the unfailing knowledge that whatever he hit, Houki would break, and that Mineshi would not cause him any worry. At least, not intentionally. But what about unintentionally? Mineshi, like Koushi, had been human once, and humans made mistakes. He had felt those that had killed both of them when he had granted them names. And now he was feeling their mistakes again, new ones, as they kept on existing, even as they endeavoured to do better.

 

He stretched out a hand towards Koushi’s back, sure that he was sleeping and so wouldn’t feel it, and pressed a hand to his shoulder-blade, where the character for ‘mourning’ had settled. It was years ago now, but he could still remember the pain – the mistakes – bound up in the character. Or maybe it was no one’s mistake when whole cities caught flame, and he only thought so because it was easier for him to cast blame.

 

He didn’t want to lose either of his shinki, but more than that he didn’t want to see Koushi worried. If he had been a shinki, he might have stung his own master with such a selfish thought. But he wasn’t a shinki, and had never been human – he was a god, and that made his every movement, every thought, purposeful and righteous. And so his decision, whatever it ended up being, would be just.

 

Sometimes, though, that thought was less reassuring than it should have been.

 

Koushi’s back was warm against his hand, but so was Houki’s metal. He wanted to talk it over with Mineshi, or maybe him and Koushi and Nishinoya. Assuming, of course, that Mineshi wouldn’t sting him again on another encounter with the god. But he wasn’t sure. He just wasn’t sure.

 

Daichi fretted away the night, doing his utmost from waking Koushi, even though a cuddle from him might have made things better. It was at times like these that a master had to bare his burdens alone.

 

In the next room, Mineshi was having an easier time. He had somehow managed to fall asleep the moment his head had hit the pillow, even though he had been sure he would have spent the night contemplating every crack and stain in his room. Perhaps it had been sheer emotional exhaustion that had tired him. He found no real respite in his dreams, either. They were filled with cawing crows and small gods whose white robes were turned orange by the sunset. And perhaps kept awake by this, the god he dreamt of found no sleep either, laying on the roof of his shrine, eyes focused unblinkingly on the moon.

 

*

 

Koushi woke up to an empty room, Daichi’s futon already folded and put back in the closet. He’d also left the outside door open, letting in the beam of sunlight that had woken Koushi. It was warm out – in fact, the heat might have woken him sooner if the door hadn’t been open. He sat up and yawned, vaguely wondering where Daichi had gone before blearily putting away his own futon.

 

The house was quiet, and Koushi’s footsteps sounded hollowly against the wooden floor. He found Mineshi in the kitchen, making breakfast, and Koushi was slightly surprised at how late it already was. Even just seeing the clock made him tired again, and he yawned.

 

“Ah, hello!” Mineshi said, noticing him.

 

“Good morning,” Koushi replied. “Did you see Daichi?”

 

Mineshi’s smile wavered slightly, but only by a hair, and shook his head. “He was gone when I woke up. He left a note, though.”

 

There was indeed a note, written down quickly and tacked onto the small corkboard on the kitchen wall. Koushi read it over twice, trying to gain some deeper insight, but all it said was that he had gone to Tokyo and would be back later that day.

 

“Ah, come to think, does Daichi even know anyone in Tokyo?” Koushi asked, thinking out loud.

 

Mineshi tilted his head. “I… don’t know, actually.”

 

They shared a look, and Koushi couldn’t help but wonder – and worry – over who it was Daichi had gone to see, and why. Disappearing acts were not part of his nature. But Koushi supposed he’d just have to trust in his god. There wasn’t much else he _could_ do.

 

*

 

Human streets were difficult in Tokyo, Daichi was learning. He’d only been to the city a couple of times, on trips almost as brief as this one would be. The tangle seemed to have grown worse since then. Fortunately, the place he was looking for was in one of the outlying _ku_ , so he could leave the worst of it behind.

 

Kozume’s shrine was a lively place even at the best of times, much to the distress of the god who lived there. Cats, almost more numerous than the crows at Nishinoya’s, roamed freely, taken care of by the shrine attendants and the shinki. Sensible, since Kozume was a cat god.

 

Given that Kozume also seemed to have gained a cat’s ability to hide itself on command, Daichi asked his location of one of the many shinki who worked there, and found him hiding out back. Kozume was lounging in the shade of a cherry tree, apparently playing with some sort of handheld electronic device. His shinki, a sacred beast named Kuroo, was curled up around him as panther, Kozume using his flank as a back rest. Kuroo looked up when Daichi walked in, but Kozume ignored him for several minutes until he put down the device and sighed.

 

“I suppose you want to talk to me,” he said.

 

“Yes, if that’s possible,” Daichi replied. “Nobuo told me where you were.”

 

Kozume sounded disappointed. “I’ll have to have a word with him. What do you want?”

 

His hands gripped into Kuroo’s fur. Kuroo matched Daichi’s gaze with the same smug expression he wore as a human, and Daichi was glad he wasn’t in human form. It meant Kuroo couldn’t talk to him. For a god as quiet as Kozume, his shinki were annoyingly loud. Some more than others, maybe, but it definitely made him glad of how quiet Koushi and Mineshi were.

 

… Mineshi. Right.

 

Daichi felt uncomfortable bringing this up while standing over Kozume, and the other god looked plenty ready to shrink back into his shinki to escape the situation, so instead he sat down close to the two of them.

 

“I have a question for you. Or, well, perhaps a quandary.”

 

“Spit it out, then…” Kozume said, glancing back over to his game.

 

“Ah, well… One of my shinki asked me to remove his name so he could serve another god.”

 

Kozume lifted an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything.

 

“I don’t know if I should, though. And I thought that, since you have so many shinki, you would know what to do…”

 

“What makes you think that?” Kozume’s eyes flickered away from Daichi, and he beckoned over a calico cat that had been watching them quizzically. She padded over and Kozume scratched her chin, using the cat as an excuse not to look at Daichi directly. “It’s not like I chose to have this many shinki. I didn’t _need_ this many, but they just kept looking so sad as wandering spirits…”

 

Daichi was fairly sure that Kozume had a problem with picking up untethered creatures. He had almost a dozen shinki, and he wasn’t that major of a god. That wasn’t really the issue here, though.

 

“So what of yours?” he asked. “If one of them wanted to leave…” He could hear the lively sounds of some of them yelling within the main part of the shrine.

 

Kozume gave a little shrug, still busy with the cat. “If they wanted to leave that badly, I would let them. On that note, do you want a replacement? Take Torao, or Haio. They’re loud.”

 

Kuroo looked at him, his ears folding back. He must have said something to his master, because Kozume said, “I wasn’t… serious.” Then, like he had just realised, “Ah, right. I was being rude. Kuro.”

 

Kuroo reverted to his human form with an arm still draped across his god’s shoulders, as protective as he had been in his panther form. He looked over at Daichi with a grin as stupid as his tracksuit. It might have been unbecoming for a god to get in with a shinki, but whenever they met Daichi couldn’t help butting heads with Kuroo.

 

“So your Koushi has finally given up on you?” he asked. “About time, I always thought he could do better.”

 

Kozume elbowed him gently in the ribs, telling him not to be rude.

 

Daichi knew he was just trying to rile him up, but glowered anyway. “It’s Mineshi, not Koushi.”

 

Kuroo’s grin became a bit more sullen, like he’d been deprived of his fun. “… Oh. Well then.”

 

“Does that make a difference?” Kozume asked. “That he isn’t your guidepost?”

 

Daichi blinked. “Doesn’t it? Weren’t _you_ interested in Kageyama’s guidepost?”

 

“Hinata?” Kozume looked mildly disappointed, though that may have been because the calico had decided on that moment to run away from him. “How’s that relevant?”

 

“I thought you might have wanted him for yourself, since you seem to get along with him better than his own god. Besides, he’s a hafuri, and doesn’t that add to the appeal?”

 

“Does it?” Kozume sounded genuinely confused. “Hinata is only where he is because he works well with Kageyama, and that’s the only way the two of them can work as well as they do. That’s the way of it, isn’t it? With hafuri, it depends solely on the bond between god and shinki. Besides, even if he wasn’t bound to Kageyama, I wouldn’t want that level of disruption…”

 

“You do tend to attract the loud ones,” Kuroo agreed.

 

Daichi resisted the urge to point out that Kuroo could be counted among those loud ones, mostly because when compared to Haio and Takeo, and sometimes even Inuo, Kuroo could be surprisingly quiet. This occurred to him because he could _still_ hear them. He was amazed that Kozume had kept them so long.

 

“Anyway,” Kozume went on. “If you freed Mineshi, you would be without a weapon. That would be your main problem, wouldn’t it?”

 

“More or less.” Though the truth was, he was also worried about potentially losing a friend – or worse, leaving him in the hands of an unknown and possibly volatile god, with no way to reclaim him. It wasn’t that he was _suspicious_ of the Nishinoya god…

 

He said none of this out loud, but Kozume seemed to pick up on it anyway.

 

“If you’re asking me… I think if it was anyone but Kuroo, I might trust their judgement and release them.”

 

“Anyone but me?” Kuroo asked.

 

“Yeah… I don’t think I could stand to lose you.” Kuroo’s grin grew bright, in a way that suggested he had completely forgotten that Daichi was there. “Also, I’m not sure I do trust your judgement. On the other hand… If you’re asking me, Daichi, it’s because you have an answer you want to hear. So you should probably go with that answer.”

 

He was looking at Daichi through the black veil of his hair, his eyes gold and piercing like a cat’s.

 

“Even if you think you might regret it later, you’ll definitely regret it if you don’t follow your instincts on this one. But then, you’re a god. You’re beyond right and wrong.” He picked up his electronic device again. “So perhaps you should go back to your shinki and talk to them. And stop bothering me.”

 

Daichi stood up. “Thank you,” he said with a slight bow.

 

“Shall I walk you back out?” Kuroo asked, moving to stand.

 

“No,” Kozume said. “You’re being my pillow – _Koki_.”

 

Kuroo found himself back in panther form and Kozume leaned back into him, though that didn’t seem to trouble the shinki in the least. He flicked his tail at Daichi, and Daichi was _fairly_ sure he had meant something insulting by it. Instead of engaging, though, he turned and left. It was still some time back to Miyagi, after all.

 

*

He took more time returning than he had meant to, taking a part of the way through the Near Shore to return to his shrine. Partially, though, it was because he was still thinking. Kozume had said that he was asking because he knew the answer and was looking for someone else to tell him that it was the right course, but he wasn’t convinced.

 

His pace and the time difference between worlds meant that by the time he got home it was already late, and dark. Figuring his shinki were already asleep, he opened the front door as quietly as he could, taking off his shoes and putting on his slippers without making a sound. Then he realised that both Koushi and Mineshi’s slippers were not there. A pair of guest slippers were also missing.

 

Daichi heard footsteps, and Koushi turned into the entryway. His face brightened when he saw Daichi, and he pulled his god into a hug.

 

“Welcome back,” Koushi said. “You were gone for longer than you said you would be. We were worried.”

 

Daichi hugged him back, and kissed his cheek.

 

“I’m sorry it took me so long,” he replied. Then, pulling back slightly, “Do we have a guest?”

 

Koushi pulled away, glancing towards the back of the house. “Ah yes, we do. Just… don’t be mad, all right?”

 

Daichi slipped his hand into Koushi’s. “I wouldn’t be mad with you.”

 

“It’s not me I’m worried you’ll be mad _with_ ,” Koushi said, leading Daichi through his own house. He could hear voices, and as they became clearer he realised why Koushi had thought he might be angry.

 

Apparently, he had invited the Nishinoya god into his house. 

 

Most of Daichi’s intelligent thoughts seemed to desert him. He had been about to storm up to them and physically throw Nishinoya out – because what sort of god intruded in the house of another when he wasn’t even there? – but two things stopped him. One was Koushi’s hand gripping his shoulder, forcing him to hold back and realise that if Koushi had approved it, it was probably safe. The second was what he saw.

 

Nishinoya and Mineshi were sitting on the edge of the veranda, talking. Nishinoya was leaning forwards, towards Mineshi, like he was intent on capturing his every word. His eyes were bright and reverent, focused solely on Mineshi’s, their hands on the wood close together but not touching – not quite. But Daichi couldn’t help but focus on Mineshi’s face, how open and _loving_ it was. It was the same expression Koushi would look at him with.

 

Daichi realised that Kozume had been right – he had already made a decision. But he had been worried that he might not have been making it for the right reasons. Seeing both of them like this had solidified it in his mind, and proved he was not making a mistake.

 

“Mineshi,” he said, and the shinki looked up, startled. Daichi realised he hadn’t even noticed he was there. “Stand up for a second.”

 

Mineshi did so, though a touch more slowly than usual. “What is it?” he asked. He was clearly expecting the worst.

 

Nishinoya stood up too, his expression guarded. Even with his hair, he barely went up to Mineshi’s shoulder, but he looked like he was about to put himself between them at the slightest provocation.

 

“Are you still serious about what you asked me last night?” Daichi asked.

 

“Yes,” Mineshi said. There was no hesitation in his voice. That was good. If he had hesitated, Daichi might no longer have been sure, either.

 

“And Nishinoya is onboard with this as well?”

 

“I –“ Nishinoya began, then stopped, like he wasn’t sure this would really happen. He turned bright red. “If you’ll let me, then I’ll gladly take him.”

 

“Very well,” Daichi said. “Mineshi, you’re my friend, so please take this for what it is, and not for an exile.”

 

Mineshi smiled weakly. “I know. Thank you.”

 

Daichi smiled too, writing the character for _summit_ midair. “I release you, _Houki._ ”

 

There was a flash of light as the character on his wrist broke apart, and he was released. It was as easy as that, but the bond was forever severed and Daichi couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness at the thought. 

 

“Take care of him, alright?” he said to Nishinoya. By the look on the god’s face, he needn’t have worried at all.

 

“I will,” Nishinoya said. His hand hesitated in mid-air, then began to draw a six stroke kanji. He recited, as if on instinct; “You with nowhere to go and nowhere to return, I grant you a place to belong. My name is Nishinoya – bearing a posthumous name, you shall remain here. With this name, I make you my servant. Your name is its reading, your vessel its sound. As a shinki – Kyoku. Come, Kyoki!”

 

The prayer-spell brought with it an ear-piercing sound, and a flash of light as the newly named Kyoki shifted into his master’s hand. A kodachi with a wooden handle – small but able to fight, and cleanly cut away impurities, the hilt making the form look like a ceremonial one, not one meant for combat. It fit him, and the name he had been given.

 

Nishinoya flinched for a brief second, and Daichi knew what he was seeing. Years of living, of being loved and protected, and loving and protecting in return. A momentary lapse in judgement, crushing metal; an arm instinctively, futilely, raised to protect; and the crack and break of bone against steel and concrete. It made him sad to remember, and clearly Nishinoya hadn’t been expecting it.

 

If he hadn’t bound a shinki in a long time, then it was likely he had forgotten what, exactly, this would be like. Daichi gripped Koushi’s hand, knowing he could never understand. Koushi wasn’t a weapon, so Daichi couldn’t really keep just him. But there were times he wished he could – wished he didn’t need to divide himself between more than just himself and Koushi, that he didn’t have to take on anyone else’s pain. He didn’t know how Kozume did it.

 

But then, Nishinoya smiled, looking over the kodachi he was holding so gently. “You’re beautiful,” he said. Then, like he couldn’t help himself, he added, “I love you.”

 

Daichi found himself looking away, blushing almost as hard as Kyoku probably was. Koushi glanced over, punching his arm. In return, Daichi wrapped his arm around Koushi’s, leaning his head against Koushi’s hair. He smelled so nice.  Koushi leaned back, watching Nishinoya and his shinki like a proud mother hen.

 

Daichi had to wonder just what had happened while he was away.

 

Nishinoya was still entirely entranced by his shinki, his grin wide. “Come – Asahi!”

 

Asahi reverted, and without even letting him catch his breath Nishinoya leapt into his arms, holding him as closely as he could. Asahi held him, hand cradling his head, fingers disappearing into his hair as Nishinoya buried his face into Asahi’s shoulder.

 

“… Are we the third wheel?” Daichi asked quietly.

 

Keeping his voice soft, Koushi laughed and said, “Maybe we are. Should we leave them?”

 

Nishinoya took a moment to look away from Asahi and look over at them.

 

“You don’t have to – we can go back to my shrine. It’s just…” He looked over at Daichi. “Thank you.”

 

And Daichi knew that, despite whatever arguments he had had with himself, whatever worries he may have still had, this had been the right decision. Asahi leaned down to kiss Nishinoya, and Nishinoya laughed, face shining brilliantly, before leaning into it.

 

He may have changed the bond between himself and Asahi, but in doing so had helped create a new, stronger one. One that, like the light of dawn just beginning to show itself over the crest of trees around their house, would only rise further, and prove itself as sacrosanct.

 

Koushi smiled at him, thinking exactly the same thing, and Daichi smiled back.

                                                       

Yeah. This had been the right choice.

**Author's Note:**

> I get the feeling that sometime after this, Daichi found another spirit to be his shinki and named him Ryuushi. He’s a bit less impressed that he’s a metal bat, though. 
> 
> I really enjoyed writing this and might do more with similar ideas at a later date. For now, though, I hope you enjoyed reading it.


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